Draw a
Story map of the story Il The tiger in the tunnel
using Freytag's triangle
Answers
Answer:
The night is dark and silent. A young boy and his father are alone in a hut in the middle of the jungle. Soon the father leaves his son alone and goes out into the jungle. Where does he go and why?
Explanation:
The station, a small shack backed by heavy jungle, was a station in name only. Why?
The station was a station in name only because trains only stopped there for a few seconds before entering the deep cutting that led to the tunnel.
Where did Baldeo spend the night?
Baldeo spent the night in a hut in the middle of a jungle.
What was Baldeo responsible for?
Baldeo was the caretaker of the station in the middle of the jungle. He was responsible for signalling whether or not the tunnel was clear for trains to pass through the tunnel. At night, Baldeo had to make sure that the signal lamp at the tunnel was burning, to allow the night train to pass through safely.
Where did Baldeo’s family live?
Baldeo’s family lived in a small tribal village on the outskirts of the forest, about three miles from the station. Baldeo’s son, Tembu sometimes slept in the hut with his father.
Why did Baldeo have to take up the job of a Khalasi?
The family’s small rice fields did not provide them with more than a bare living, so Baldeo had to take up the job of Khalasi at the small station in the jungle.
Name four wild animals which were to be found in the forest.
The wild animals one could encounter in the jungle were man-eating tigers, panthers, boars and barking deer.
Do you think Baldeo was afraid? Highlight the sentence in the story that gives you the answer.
No. Baldeo was not afraid of the jungle that was full of dangerous animals. The sentence that tells the reader that he is unafraid is: Baldeo walked confidently for being a tribal himself, he was used to the jungle and its ways.
What weapon did Baldeo carry? Who had made it?
Baldeo carried a small axe which was fragile to look at but deadly when in use. The axe had been made by his father over a charcoal fire.
Why did the barking deer call out?
The barking deer let out a frightened cry because it might have been afraid of the dark and it sensed imminent danger.
How did Tembu know that the train was coming? What is he waiting for?
In the small hut, the trembling of the ground told Tembu that the train was approaching. The boy woke up and mumbled to his father that it was time to light the lamp. When he realised that his father had already gone, he lay down again. He was now wide awake, waiting for the train to pass, waiting for his father’s returning footsteps.
What made Baldeo’s job as a signal man dangerous?
In his job as a signal man, Baldeo had to be constantly wary of the threat of dangerous wild animals like man-eaters and panthers. Although he had heard many stories of the tunnel tiger, he hardly believed these tales because he had not encountered the beast since he had arrived at the station in the middle of the jungle. Just a few days before, the villagers had killed a panther with their spears and axes.
Highlight words and phrases from the text that describe the tiger.
The man eater had a huge body with eyes that shone a brilliant green in the light from the signal lamp. The great brute moved rapidly towards Baldeo. The author describes the tiger as fearless.
What was Baldeo more worried about: his own safety or his son’s?
When Baldeo heard a thump and the rattle of small stones, he knew the tiger had sprung into the cutting. Baldeo listened carefully, wondering whether the beast was heading towards the tunnel or going in the opposite direction, to the hut. His first thought was for the safety of Tembu, because his son lay unprotected in the hut.